Gut Reactions - Week 5, Broncos-Ravens

As a Broncos fan, it was hard to watch the past five seasons as teams like the Ravens continued to simply beat up on Mike Shanahan’s finesse offenses.

But in some ways, it’s even harder to watch the same thing happen to a bigger Broncos team like the one Josh McDaniels is creating.

The Broncos are bigger. The Broncos are tougher. But against the standard bearers of big and tough—the Baltimore Ravens—they continue to play small and weak.

For all of the talk about the Broncos high-octane passing attack, they were the ones to internally combust.

But can a team really light itself on fire in all phases of a football game? Apparently so.

The Broncos lost the game 31-17. As a player, a coach, an owner, and a fan, you can point in a lot of different directions. Drive-killing penalties? Check. Turnovers? Check. Lack of pressure? Check.

It’s true that we should be careful not to get too carried away. After all, it’s one game on the road against a tough opponent. It’s early.

The Ravens are a great team. They are going to run off 10-12 wins this season. They played a classic game in today’s NFL. They passed the ball early, got a big lead, then killed the clock in the 2nd half with the running game. So hats off to the Ravens.

And the schedule eventually gets easier.

But that doesn’t make your gut feel any better today.

Let’s get to the positives, negatives, and the who-the-heck knows. First, the positives:

Positives

1) The Broncos came out on the first drive with two-back sets and did attempt to run the ball, both up the middle and to the edge. If not for a holding penalty on Eddie Royal’s big run, the drive had a chance to be successful. Although a little cutesy, it was something different the Ravens hadn’t seen before. In addition, the Broncos ran better today, but they were playing from behind, so they didn’t have the opportunities to establish anything.

2) DJ Williams continues to fly around and make great one-on-one and open-field tackles. He finished the game with 10 tackles and 5 assists.

3) For two weeks straight, Kyle Orton has used the pump fake to perfection on deep routes to Lloyd. This is a big deal. Early in his career, Orton didn’t do this. There’s a reason Lloyd gets behind the safety, and it’s not just because he’s fast. The safety is reading Orton, and that pump fake is key to the play. This is another part of Orton’s maturity.

5) Wink Martindale began blitzing midway through the 2nd quarter. It was a good move. Flacco couldn’t survey the field any longer (see Negatives also) for 4 seconds. Flacco went from having a near perfect quarterback rating after the first quarter-and-a-half to a QB rating of 81.4 for the game. Still, with a running game and a defense like that, he could be Trent Dilfer and win.

6) The Broncos offensive line protected Kyle Orton for the most part today, only giving up one sack.

Negatives

1) The Broncos’ defense clearly came out flat on the first few drives, despite the Ravens showing their standard 212 personnel package, which the Broncos had seen on film the entire week. The Ravens really just had their way with the Broncos. The Broncos were forced to take a timeout because of personnel issues, and they didn’t expect the Ravens to come out passing the way they did. In some ways it was fortuitous that the Ravens faced the goal line and short yardage at the end of the first drive, because it played into Denver’s strength. However, at the end of the 2nd drive, the Ravens didn’t foolishly try and run a pass in the flat for a defensive tackle.

3) Martindale decided to wait until the Ravens had had 17 plays on the Broncos’ side of the field before he decided to bring some pressure. Might have been something to consider, oh, I don’t know, after the first drive during which Flacco was pitching for 20-plus yards a pop.

4) When it’s 3rd-and-10 or longer, the draw play may fool the defense, but in the NFL, it rarely gets you a first down.

5) Kyle Orton’s reads early were poor. He forced to Lloyd too often at the markers when the cornerbacks were simply playing soft coverage and squatting these routes. Kyle makes decent pre-snap reads always, but he’s got to know corners like Fabian Washington are going to continue to show press coverage early on the clock and backpedal to soft coverage right before the snap.

6) Again I say, Perrish Cox can run really fast, but can he cover? Until he proves otherwise, he’s going to continue to get picked on. He did a better job in the 2nd half, though, to his credit.

7) A delay of game penalty immediately after a holding penalty? That deserves a big WTF.

8) I honestly stopped charting plays midway through the 2nd quarter due to, well, the beat down the Broncos were receiving. It didn’t really matter. The Broncos had to again abandon the running game and operate from 113 sets (1 RB, 1 TE, and 3 WRs) for most of the 2nd half.

8) Dan Fouts was right with 4 minutes left in the game. You don’t punt in that situation unless you are waving the white flag.

9) Third-down efficiency was again less than stellar. The Broncos were 5 out of 12 for 41%, but most of this damage came in the 2nd half and while passing from behind.

10) Penalties suck. They really do.

Who The Heck Knows?

1) Quick, how fast can the Broncos’ biggest critics jump on the why-do-you-have-your-1st-round-draft-pick-returning-kicks-and-risking-injury train? Wait, they already jumped on the train? I’m shocked. You can’t blame Thomas for bringing out the ball on the kickoff. The Broncos were down 14-0 at that time and the kid was trying to make a play.

2) If you had that Tebow pick back today, would you rather have used it to close the door at the revolving left guard or on a guy who is going to take up valuable cap space for 2-3 years? A fair question in my mind. Let’s hope that Zane Beadles is the answer because Russ Hochstein is not. And I’m still not a fan of the Chris Kuper extension, either.

3) After the hot-and-cold play of Perrish Cox, do you think the Broncos want to reconsider that Champ Bailey extension offer again this week?

4) If you’re Champ Bailey, you sure you want to sign it?

5) Why not go for the 55-yard field goal on the 1st drive of the 2nd half? McDaniels saw his defense improving and was hoping to pin the Ravens back, that’s why. Was it the right call?

6) Kyle Orton will continue to approach 300-yard passing games until the Broncos establish the run. This is what happens when you are playing from behind in the 2nd half most of the time. It doesn’t mean the Broncos’ passing game is the best in the NFL. But the stats will look good. Today he was 23 out of 38 for 314 yards and a QB rating of 104.5. So if you want to drown your sorrows somewhere, you can keep track of Orton’s stats this year. They will be very nice.

7) As rationale for their running game, how long do the Broncos get to use the excuse they they are starting a rookie at center and that the starting offensive line has had injuries and hasn’t played together?

8) Apparently, the Ravens were not excited to see Kyle Orton throw for 300 yards. They were blitzing with 1:00 remaining in the game. For this, I was glad to see Lloyd beat them deep yet again. Stay classy, Baltimore.

Related

What I hate the most is that the guy from the Baltimore newspaper that basically said not to worry, Denver sucks and we&#8217ll crush them, didn&#8217t have to eat crow. He gets to say, &#8220see, I told you. No worries, Broncos are our B&#8230&#8221

Posted by NDbronco on 2010-10-11 15:34:38

Agree with all goods, bads and uglies. But, shake it off&#8230Broncos will win next week against the Jets. It&#8217s my lock of the week. <img alt="smile" height="19" src="http://www.singernet.com/images/smileys/smile.gif" style="border:0;" width="19">

Posted by NDbronco on 2010-10-11 15:30:43

I tend to agree Space Cowboy.

Part of being a fan is being emotional, part of being emotional is that tends to weigh on the logical portion of the brain. Therefore we react emotional when the bad is perceived to be very large.

Yesterdays loss told us we were supposed to be tougher now but we aren&#8217t very close to that goal at all. Which causes us to wonder if we are in some middle ground waiting for a couple years to finish our rebuilding. IWhich causes a severe disappointment to our fan base.

Posted by Dennis Mitchell on 2010-10-11 11:18:49

Disappointing lose, and as a FAN I think my team can win any game they play.

Realistically, this game was one that would have required perfection on all fronts. We were far from that. We can&#8217t run the ball for a ton of reasons(trying to fix it against the strongest Run D&#8217s of the NFL doesn&#8217t really help), we have a new O-Line coach, a new Running back&#8217s coach, a new TE coach, a new Defensive coordinator, a new Linebacker coach, we had even more turnover on the roster this year than we had last. Are we a top tier elite team this year? No.

Getting mad and angry isn&#8217t going to change what we are. A team a year or two away from being strongly competitive with the best, strong, physical teams in the NFL. We can compete with the likes of the Colts, Patriots and such, but hard nose teams are not something we are ready to go head to head with just yet.

We are all on the outside looking in, and as we judge and insult the MSM for making commentary on how players and coaches are thinking, what right do we have to think we know what is going through their minds? This was a tough, hard game that the Broncos lost, but unless any of us are apart of that locker room I think none of us can discuss the feelings in the locker room, the players or anybody else.

And one final point. WE NO LONGER ARE A TEAM LEAD BY ELWAY. Get over it, because the times of magical comebacks and getting crappy teams to the Superbowl are gone. We are not that team. The Broncos will only win a lot of games if all 3 phases of the team do well. Today the Offense couldn&#8217t get it done, and the Raven&#8217s Offense is a dangerous one, thinking otherwise would be foolish.

Be a fan win or lose, accept things that you cannot change, and also realize that McD knows more about football than you. I guarantee it.

But I do wonder about Mankins&#8212anyone have an idea what it would cost to acquire him?

Posted by underdog on 2010-10-11 03:36:30

Does any combination of coach and player manage the clock worse than Mike Singletary and Alex Smith? Sheesh. Every game it&#8217s terrible.

Posted by underdog on 2010-10-11 03:25:00

Boydy, must disagree on several fronts&#8230

a) O-line blocking was fair today not terrible

b) Coaching didnt lose this game, what aspect of coaching do you think caused it?

c) Passion was there, just not execution

d) Logan may not be the answer, at what cost would you take that risk

I don&#8217t think we played well, but the bad portions were enough to cause the loss&#8230as always happens in a loss.

This team has a few adjustments to make. I guarantee the game against the Jets will be closer or a Denver win big scenario. Our offense can become lethal and will help keep the defense fresh. Not too far away as I see it.

Anyone hear the status on DT?

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2010-10-11 03:02:25

I will try and be succinct:

Pass Rush SUCKS.

Run Defense SUCKS.

O Line run blocking SUCKS.

Lack of desire SUCKS.

Coaching SUCKS. (if I am a player after mcD punted I would have wanted to punch him in the mouth!)

Passion SUCKS.

Orton GOOD.

LLoyd GOOD.

Gaffney GOOD.

Royal GOOD.

Why is Hoschstein starting, and if he is the best then Beadles must SUCK dogs balls.

If i am Xanders I am getting Logan Mankins in PRONTO.

McD let his team down&#8230he virtually surrended the game with 4.30 minutes to go. In my opinion, he may have lost many members of the team.

This teams wheels are wobbling and the axles are sinking in the mud.

For the psyche of this team, this was a deplorable loss.

As McD has already mentioned, this team has a &#8220woe is me&#8221 attitude.

I dont mind losing games, but losing them in this fashion, with no heart, desire or fire REALLY worries me.

The game against the Jets could be absolute carnage.

You know we SUCKED when I was happy the raiders won&#8230.oh man, just threw up in my mouth a little bit!

Posted by Boydy2669 on 2010-10-11 02:05:20

Good comments, everyone.

@Jay: I would say, generally, I agree with you. Orton continues to play well. No doubt about it. He&#8217s not where he needs to be just yet, but he&#8217s still very good. Regarding DJ, the film will tell the tale, but early, he made some great plays (goal line, flat).

@ Nick: It&#8217s certainly debatable, Nick, to be sure. I just don&#8217t like the message is sends to your team. If I&#8217m a player, I want to go for it right there and never give an inch. As we saw on the very next drive, they can strike

@ Orange and Blue: Yes, I have looked at this before in general terms and there didn&#8217t seem to be a correlation. I&#8217ll go back and take a look at the data again because I used most of the data to look at humidity and the Broncos over the years. It&#8217s a great question. Without seeing the data, I would have to think there is something to that.

@ Drew: You are probably right. The Broncos are still not there yet. How long does McDaniels get? Another year? Two years? Will be interesting to see, but I think by the end of this year we will be right there with everyone for the division.

Posted by TJ Johnson on 2010-10-11 01:41:00

I think its funny how we can only score TDs with long bombs to lloyd

I also dont feel we were able to play our game, because of the penalties and turnovers and then score deficit

Posted by Rig on 2010-10-11 01:29:46

Dennis, agreed 100%.

Posted by RalphW on 2010-10-10 23:49:50

Nice to see the Cowboys fall victim to Mariani on kickoff return, too, and their losing to Tennessee will make that road win against the Titans look a bit more impressive no?

Posted by underdog on 2010-10-10 23:38:42

I just want to say how civilized this sight is compared to a former site we all lived at and still visit. THANK YOU

Posted by Dennis Mitchell on 2010-10-10 22:42:06

I disagree about the punt call. I was debating with boydy about this point over on MHR.

We had 4th and 15. Baltimore&#8217s defense is arguably the best, especially in 3rd and 4th in long situations.

If we go for it here, the chances are we don&#8217t get it and Balitmore is in prime position to get AT LEAST a FG. Instead, we punt and try to flip field position.

I like the call to punt. Baltimore didn&#8217t score. If we had gone for it, they would have scored.

Posted by NickCast on 2010-10-10 22:35:45

Is there some sort of statistics aspect of determining how well teams play when they go 2 time zones away in back to back weeks? Esp when facing brutally physical teams like Tenn (see them against Dallas right now) and Balt.

This game was a blight on the schedule since it came out. Did we play flat and un-inspired? maybe, but I did like some things - as mentioned by TJ. Is the sky falling? no.

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2010-10-10 21:38:40

I think you nailed most of it!

I wonder, again, as I said in last thread, how much of the poor run defense later in this game was their own poor play and how much was being gassed&#8212and I&#8217d blame that on the Broncos own lack of ability to have any long sustained drives due in part to no running game. They&#8217ve done it at times this season (clock killing drives) so it&#8217s not like they&#8217re not capable, and they&#8217re playing a good D. But the defense is getting little chance to rest, has to hurt their own play after awhile. And injuries hurt their depth and thus the rotation as well.

Posted by underdog on 2010-10-10 21:27:38

Excellent observations, Drew

Posted by jayrockstone on 2010-10-10 21:23:41

Realistically&#8212IMO, of course&#8212Denver needed Baltimore to have an off day. Unfortunately, Baltimore didn&#8217t take Denver as lightly as we hoped, they weren&#8217t flat, and they had effective balance on offense. It sucks and all, but to me this outcome was more predictable (although not inevitable) than it is depressing.

That said, Denver could have made it interesting. They say that a game can swing on a few plays, and Denver had two big Eddie Royal plays called back on penalties (something like 60 yards worth) and then Gronkowksi&#8217s drop to kill the opening drive in the 2nd half. Make those plays, and Denver at least makes it interesting. The Royal plays turned great conversions into impossible down and distances, and Gronk had a shot at putting the stranglehold on a huge momentum swing.

I hope mentally Denver comes out of this understanding that they are closer to being good than bad&#8230that if they can just quick hurting themselves, they can compete with anybody.

Posted by Drewthorn on 2010-10-10 21:22:28

I&#8217m with you on most points, dude, but I&#8217ll contest one or two somewhat slightly.

Orton has really proven himself to date, and Lloyd was one hell of a pickup. The running attack is slowly gaining traction, and will continue to improve as the OL plays together over time, and the tackles continue to heal. I would love to see Beadles get some real time at LG. He&#8217s spent so much time at tackle, and hasn&#8217t had a real chance to show his stuff at guard since the middle of the preseason. We can at least hope, can&#8217t we?

I really don&#8217t want to flog a dead Bronco, but&#8230well, OK, maybe I do. The run D had me impressed at the goal line stand, and not so much after that. Go back and look at the replay/tape, especially the third quarter. Many 8-10 yard gains by Rice went right up the gut. When the network shows the replay from behind the defense, you can really see it. DJ made a lot of tackles, but made many well beyond the line of scrimmage. Time and again, he&#8217s engaged by a lineman, and can&#8217t shed the block until the runner is past him. His tackling is much improved over last year, especially in the open field, but go back and look at the replay to see my point. It&#8217s not my intention to bash the man, but I saw what I saw.

This team will continue to improve over the course of the year. As Josh gains confidence in them, he&#8217ll continue to open up the playbook. Still, as of yet, they&#8217re still not quite ready to play with the big boys on a regular basis. They&#8217ve still got some growing to do.

Posted by jayrockstone on 2010-10-10 21:08:10

And Arizona!

Posted by RalphW on 2010-10-10 21:03:18

The bad news; we lost to the team that beat PITT on the road.

The good news; we play the Raiders twice

Posted by RalphW on 2010-10-10 20:53:00

One more&#8230

Lloyd has the most receiving yards through the first 5 games in Broncos history.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-10-10 20:44:24

Oh, Redskins just won.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-10-10 20:39:06

Stay classy, indeed. Nice write-up, and I agree with much of it.

Off-topic, but is anyone watching the Redskins/Packers game? Penalties are destroying the Packers right now in OT, and I find it funny that while people are complaining about the Broncos&#8217 running game, the person to whom they refer in their lamentations is having trouble running the ball, too.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-10-10 20:38:23

On the positive side of the ledger, is it too late to add the punt block team of the Oakland Raiders?